Getting Good at New Things
by laurah2215
Summary: Pairing: CJ/Danny; Series: The Concannon's:Present, Past and Future; Story # 8;Abbey and Noah receive shocking news.


Title: Getting Good at New Things

Title: Getting Good at New Things  
Series: The Concannon's Present, Past and Future  
Author: Laura H  
Rating-PG 13/Teen  
Disclaimer: Insert random "I do not own"….  
Synopsis: Noah and Abbey have a surprise.  
This series will encompass a couple stories already posted and ones I  
will write in the future. I'll post the timeline before each story, so  
as to avoid confusion.  
Title: The Hardest Conversation Ever  
Story 1-I Loved Her First  
Story2- Just Another Day in Paradise  
Story 3: My Little Girl  
Story 4:Chivalry Isn't Dead  
Story 5:He's Just Sensitive  
Story 6: The Hardest Conversation Ever  
Story 7: Letting Go  
Story 8: Getting Good at New Things

Author's Notes: I didn't include a country song (gasp! What a  
surprise!), but if you're looking for a song to fit the story, listen  
to Kenny Chesney's "There Goes My Life"… Also " Proud of the House we  
Built" by Brooks and Dunn.

Timeline-what you need to know for now:  
Nov 2006- CJ and Danny finally see what they've been missing for eight  
years.  
Jan 2007- CJ and Danny move to California together. CJ becomes  
President of the Hollis Foundation. Danny begins writing Josiah  
Bartlet's biography.  
July 2007-CJ and Danny get married at the Bartlet farm and conceive  
Abigail during their honeymoon in Ireland.  
Sept 2007- Danny starts school to finish his doctorate  
Feb 2008- Abigail is born  
March 2009-Patrick is born.  
January 2011:" Story 5-He's Just Sensitive"  
Sept 2013:Story 2-"Just Another Day in Paradise"  
Nov 2013- February 2014: Story 3- "My Little Girl"  
June 2021: Story 4- "Chivalry Isn't Dead"  
Jan 2025:Story 6-"The Hardest Conversation Ever"  
March 2025: Story 7- "Letting Go"  
May 2032: Story 1-Abigail's wedding- "I Loved Her First"  
July 2032: Story 8- "Getting Good at New Things"

Part 1

Flushing the toilet, Abbey stands up and sighs deeply. Another  
meal she can't keep down. She hasn't been able to eat breakfast in  
days, and now her dinner (reheated leftovers from the previous night)  
caused her to feel nauseous. She rinses her mouth and makes her way  
back to the kitchen. Checking the clock in the kitchen, Abbey can't  
help but feel disappointed. Another night that Noah hasn't been home  
in time for dinner. She starts stacking the dishwasher, wondering what  
mundane task at the White House has Noah occupied again. Since  
starting his job as a junior staffer six weeks ago (when they returned  
from Dublin for their honeymoon), Noah has had to work late three or  
four nights a week on average. Working as a political director for the  
Global Climate Action Group in D.C., Abbey's hours are much more  
predictable and less hectic as Noah's at the White House. She's trying  
to be supportive of her husband's blossoming career, but she's already  
feeling lonely and fed up about not having enough time with him.

"Hey, babe." Noah calls from the foyer of their small, modest  
bungalow in northern Virginia.

"In the kitchen," Abbey calls unenthusiastically, not pausing  
her task of wiping down the counter.

Noah drags his tired feet into the kitchen and sets his  
briefcase on the wooden table. "I'm sorry I'm late. Mr. Larson had me  
running errands on the Hill and chasing down reporters in the Press  
Room. I don't really know how all this is gonna earn me a promotion,  
but if I complain I know I'll be replaced before I can tell them I'm  
too qualified to be doing this." Noah started his job at the White  
House the same way most law school graduates do. He insisted (as did  
Abbey) that his parents and the Concannon's not interfere in any of  
his accomplishments. None of the four parents had so much as written a  
letter of recommendation to get either of the kids into school, and  
they certainly had nothing to do with securing them work in  
Washington. What they have accomplished in their young lives was all  
on their own merit.

Abbey turns around and narrows her tired eyes. "Are we not doing  
hello, how are you?' anymore before we begin the nightly routine of  
bitching about your job?"

Taking a few steps closer to Abbey, Noah raises a furrowed brow.  
"What's wrong with you?"

Abbey haughtily rolls her eyes and drops the cloth in the sink. "  
Nothing. I'd just like a kiss before you get all complain-y."

Noah's face softens into an apologetic smile. He reaches for  
Abbey's hands and draws her into a warm embrace, kissing her softly.  
"I'm sorry, hon'. We don't have to talk about my job. How was your day?"

Abbey frowns slightly. "Work was fine. I was consulting with a  
senior aid in Congressman Jeffers' office most of the day. For an  
educated woman, she knew nothing about global warming."

"How are ya feelin'?" Noah inquires. Yesterday he had seen Abbey  
rush out of bed and throw up in the bathroom. Insisting it was  
probably just food poisoning, Abbey waved off his concern. But then  
this morning Noah noticed Abbey up early again to use the bathroom. He  
suggested that she see a doctor if she didn't feel better today, but  
she simply dismissed his worry.

"I thought I was feeling better, but I tossed my dinner a little  
while ago. I guess I'll go to the doctor tomorrow. I just hate using  
my benefits six weeks after I got a job."

Noah shakes his head as he retrieves a couple cookies from the  
pantry and sits at the table with a glass of milk. " Don't worry about  
it. It's more important that you stay healthy."

After Noah finishes his snack, they prepare for bed; washing  
faces, brushing teeth and combing hair. Before climbing into bed,  
Abbey pulls off her plaid pajama shorts (she had changed as soon as  
she got home from work) but leaves her grey tank-top on. Noah's brows  
rise in surprise as he strips out of his suit. Abbey turns off the  
light on her nightstand and rolls onto her side facing the wall. Noah  
slides between the sheets and runs his hands over Abbey's torso  
beneath her shirt.

"Why do you have your tank-top on? Noah wants to know as he lifts  
Abbey's red curls and drops feathery kisses to her neck.

"What does it matter?" Abbey responds in a snap.

Huffing quietly, Noah brings Abbey around to face him. " It  
doesn't. But what's wrong? We've had sex every night since our honeymoon."

"Exactly. And tonight I don't feel like it. Just go to sleep."  
Abbey pulls the covers up to her neck and closes her eyes.

Noah seeks Abbey's hand beneath the blankets. "What's wrong? Do  
you still not feel well? Maybe we should go to a clinic."

"I don't need a clinic, I just need sleep. So stop." Abbey turns  
her back to Noah again.

Noah will never understand why women are so emotional. He's  
pretty good at minding Abbey's mood after being together for twelve  
years, but there are still times when he feels helpless. His father  
and Danny had assured him that it wasn't just a problem he and Abbey  
faced, that it was practically universal in all relationships between  
men and women. The best thing he could do, his older role-models had  
told him, was to be as empathetic and understanding as possible and  
accommodate Abbey's moods. Instead of invoking unwanted anger, Noah  
decides to close his eyes and attempt to hide his disappointment.  
Coming home to his wife has been the best part of his day for the last  
six weeks as they dealt with new jobs, a new city and managing their  
first house. Now he can't even make love to his young bride and just  
let the rest of their crazy world slip away from consciousness.

The next day is Saturday, so Noah has the luxury of sleeping in  
late and coming home from work early. But instead of enjoying a  
morning cuddle and shower with his new wife, Noah finds himself  
chasing after Abbey as she dashes to the toilet. Rubbing the sleep  
from his eyes, Noah soaks a cloth in cold water and sits down to bring  
it to Abbey's forehead. "You've gotta get looked at. You could have  
the flue." He dabs the drool from Abbey's chin.

Lowering her eyes, Abbey shakes her head. " I don't have the flue."

"Oh, and I'm supposed to believe that coming from a lawyer? Did I  
miss the years you spent in medical school? I guess you should have  
done a residency instead of studying for the bar." Cracking a grin,  
Noah smiles at his own joke.

But Abbey isn't smiling. Her face is solemn, serious and sad.  
"I'm pregnant," she whispers timidly, averting her eyes to the tiled  
floor.

Blinking rapidly, Noah quickly tries to digest this new  
revelation. "Are…are you sure?"

"Why else would I feel like this?" Abbey exclaims. She's gone  
over and over in her head the different possibilities, and all  
evidence points to the same conclusion.

Noah releases a breath. This is not what he had anticipated  
dealing with this morning.

"So?" Abbey probes, searching Noah's eyes for his opinion.

"So, what do you wanna do? I thought we took care of this. We've  
always been so careful. What do you think?" Noah asks, not sure how  
she will want to proceed. They hadn't really discussed at length  
whether they were going to start a family. If they talked about having  
kids, it was always discussed in reference to a future time. They were  
just building their life in D.C. after they completed law school.  
Besides, Abbey had been on birth control for years. He assumed they  
didn't have to worry about this possibility.

"I don't know." Abbey's lips tremble, the tears she had been  
holding in since last night threatening to fall. She hadn't slept at  
all, spending the night tossing and turning, trying to wrap her head  
around the possibility that she could be pregnant.

"Why don't we find out for sure? Look, you can get back in bed.  
Your eyes are all bloodshot and you look exhausted. On my way home  
from work I'll go to the drug store and get one of those home  
pregnancy tests. Sound good?" Noah places a couple stray locks behind  
Abbey's ears before wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "It's  
okay; everything's gonna be okay. No matter what happens, I'll always  
love you."

"I love you, too. I'm just scared. I don't know what to do."  
Abbey shakes her head and wipes the tear tracks on her cheeks.

"I've gotta get ready for work. Are you gonna be okay here?" Noah  
helps Abbey to her feet and places his hand on the small of her back  
as they walk back to the bedroom.

"Yeah. You need to go." Abbey crawls back under the blankets and  
lets herself succumb to sleep.

•  
Noah couldn't concentrate at work. He mindlessly answered his  
boss's questions and carried out the tasks assigned to him. But the  
whole time his mind was racing over what would happen if Abbey was  
pregnant. What would she want to do? Would she be ready to be a  
mother? Would she want to get an abortion? He couldn't see her  
pursuing that avenue, but they were both focused on their careers and  
weren't planning on having children yet. Whenever they did discuss it,  
it was always in abstract terms and placed way in the future. Could  
they really handle a child so early in their life together? How would  
they afford the new addition with a mortgage and student loans to pay  
off? Was he prepared to be a father? Josh and Danny had provided great  
role-models for fatherhood, but was he cut out for it? When Noah  
finally arrives at the drug store after being released from work, he's  
too distracted to decide which pregnancy test to buy. Rolling his eyes  
and shaking his head, Noah just picks up three different brands. He  
blushes as he hands the teenager at the check-out counter his credit  
card. He's too stressed to really care what the kid thinks of him.  
Pulling into the driveway at home. Noah parks their Prius(Abbey  
insisted they buy an energy-efficient car). He usually drives the car  
to work as Abbey car pools with a colleague (environmentalists such as  
them are big on car-pooling).

Noah finds Abbey dozing in bed when he enters their room a little  
after four in the afternoon. He hates to wake her, so he's relieved  
when Abbey stirs and opens her eyes.

"Hey," she greets groggily.

"How you feelin'?" Noah sits on the edge of the bed and runs a  
hand across Abbey's arm.

Shrugging, Abbey forces herself to sit up. "Tired. Did you get a  
test?"

"Yeah, three. I didn't understand the difference between them so  
I just got them all. At least this way we'll get an accurate answer."  
Noah hands Abbey the paper bag, to which she frowns.

"Okay, I guess we better get a stick to dictate our future to  
us." Abbey takes the bag into the bathroom and closes the door. Noah  
changes out of his suit and into a pair of jeans and Yale Law School  
t-shirt. When Abbey emerges from the bathroom, she waits anxiously in  
the doorjamb of their bedroom.

"How long til we know?" Noah asks, walking to the door and taking  
her hands in his.

"Thirty seconds," Abbey whispers, head down.

"You know that I'll support whatever decision you make," Noah  
articulates.

Abbey lifts her head and grimaces. "I wanna know what you think  
about this. What do you wanna do?"

Noah licks his lips out of nervous habit. "I don't know," he  
admits honestly. He hates having to admit that to his wife. Any other  
time he's full of answers.

"Are you ready to be a parent?" Abbey asks, rubbing her fingers  
across Noah's palms.

"I could be ready," Noah hypothesizes. "I dunno, Abbey. God…I…I  
just want you to be happy. If you wanna have this baby, then I will  
love it with every fiber of my being and I will support both of you  
for the rest of my life. But if you wanna…get an abortion and wait til  
we're more established in our jobs and financially secure, I'll  
respect that, too. I just want you to be happy." His lips quirk into a  
half-smile.

Glancing at her watch, Abbey tells Noah that it's time. Holding  
hands, they walk into the bathroom and nervously peer at the sticks  
lying in the sink.

"This one's supposed to be a blue dot if it's positive." Abbey  
distinguishes between the sticks. " And that one has a pink line, and  
that one is two solid blue lines."

Noah blinks rapidly. A blue dot, a pink line and two solid blue  
lines lay their future on the line for them. " They're all positive,"  
Noah exhales, turning to look in Abbey's eyes.

Abbey's hand drifts to her stomach, and her eyes follow the  
pattern her hand makes. "A baby."

"Yes," Noah adds calmly.

"Our baby," Abbey continues, staring in amazement at her stomach,  
imagining it swelling with the growth of the baby. "Noah, I don't  
wanna destroy this life that God has given us."

Noah's lips relax into a warm smile. "Neither do I. How about we  
raise it instead?" He pulls Abbey into his arms and she releases a  
nervous giggle.

"You're sure?" Abbey cups his cheeks, staring deep into her  
husband's eyes.

"Positive," Noah declares confidently.

"It's not gonna be easy. We'll have to make a lot of sacrifices.  
I'm not gonna have a comfortable maternity leave because I won't have  
been at my job for over a year." Abbey voices the concerns she's been  
considering all day.

"It's okay. The government helps us for the first six months  
anyway. I know it's not a whole paycheck, but we'll make do. Maybe I  
can take paternity leave after a couple months if you need to go back  
to work. We'll figure it out." Noah, one arm around Abbey's torso,  
returns to the bedroom.

"We're having a baby." Abbey grins insanely, pushing Noah by the  
chest onto his back on the bed. She crawls on top of him until she can  
settle her head in the crook of his neck.

"We're gonna be parents." Noah laughs a little.

"Do you think we're insane?" Abbey questions.

"Well, not certifiably, but yeah, a little." Noah kisses Abbey's  
hair and wraps his arms around her. "We'll be fine. We somehow always  
are."

Abbey agrees, but silently wonders how they're going to tell  
their parents.

Promise CJ and Danny will make an appearance in Part 2.Also, I'm  
making the assumption that by 2033 the American government will extend  
maternity and paternity leave benefits.

Part 2

"Abbey, Noah!" CJ waves across the terminal meeting point.

Abbey and Noah pick up their pace, dragging their luggage behind  
them as they head toward CJ and Danny who are waiting to pick them up  
at LAX.

"Hi there," Abbey greets as Danny immediately pulls her into a  
tight squeeze.

"It's so good to see you, sweetie. How was the flight?" Danny  
releases his daughter so CJ can give her a hug. He turns and draws  
Noah into a man hug'.

Noah kisses CJ's cheek when she and Abbey break off.

"It was all right," Abbey replies simply. The truth was, she was  
sick for most of the flight. She was still in the morning sickness  
time-period when they boarded the plane, then their lunch of salmon  
made her sick all over again.

"Noah, your parents are at a retirement party for an old  
colleague; that's why they're not here to pick you up. They figured  
they should make an appearance before dinner so they could get back to  
visit with the two of you," CJ relays as Danny takes Abbey's suitcase  
on wheels and leads them to the car.

"That's fine. I think Mom mentioned that on the phone on  
Sunday." Noah helps Danny load the luggage into the trunk.

"So, no trouble in paradise I trust? Married life still good?" CJ  
enquires as they pile into the car.

Abbey and Noah steal a glance at each other in the back seat. "  
Yeah, everything's fine."

"How's work?" Danny asks as he pulls out of the parking lot.

"Uh, well, I'm enjoying it so far. We're seeking support from  
Congress to pass a huge bill on green house gas emissions; the Group  
hasn't partnered on such an important bill in five years," Abbey  
relays. Usually Abbey is excited and proud when she tells her parents  
about the projects she's working on at the Global Climate Action  
Group. Today, however, Abbey is nervous about telling them about the  
baby, and doesn't know if she'll be able to convey excitement or pride  
when she finally summons the courage to tell them.

"She's doing good things," Noah gushes for his wife, who is  
modest about her skills and achievements.

"What about you, Noah?" CJ turns around in the passenger seat.

Noah shares a look with Abbey, trying to discern from her eyes  
whether or not he should be honest. "It's all right. Mr. Larson isn't  
exactly bending over backwards to provide me with every possible  
opportunity for advancement."

CJ grimaces in sympathy. "Well, don't get discouraged. If you  
work hard and have patience someone will notice and you'll be promoted  
in no time. I could always call Mr. Larson and…"

"No! No help. If I'm gonna be successful and get the contacts and  
experience necessary to work as a political operative, I'm doing it on  
my own terms. I appreciate the offer, but no thanks." The statement is  
one he's been echoing since high school.

CJ throws her hands up. "Fine, no help. I understand."

"We have to do this on our own, even if means that Noah works  
until nine every day with crummy pay," Abbey reiterates.

"Nine, really? I never had any aides stay that late. That must be  
really stressful." CJ lets out a low sigh, remembering all the long,  
lonely nights spent at her desk in the White House. She couldn't  
imagine trying to make a marriage work under those conditions,  
especially since she didn't have any time to even care for herself.

"It's not fun, that's for sure." Abbey narrows her eyes at Noah.

Noah has guilt written all over his face. He truly feels bad for  
not being around to help Abbey. "It's kinda taking its toll. I'm not  
around much to help with meal preparation or house up-keep. And it's  
not like Abbey feels like doing that every day after a full day at work."

"Sounds like you need a housekeeper," Danny teases.

"Dad, if we could afford a housekeeper we would be buying  
brand-name cereal, not to mention new clothes, DVDs…" Abbey throws a  
hand in the air in frustration.

"Honey, I was joking. I know you're having a hard time  
financially. But you're doing all the right things and saving for the  
future. It won't be long before you can get a second car and maybe  
even buy brand-name cereal." Danny smiles into the rear-view mirror.

Little does her father know, the savings account she and Noah  
opened years ago will need to be dipped into much earlier than any of  
them anticipated.

"So we'll drop Davy off at John Hopkin's and Ella at Columbia  
before we come and spend that Labor day weekend in September with you  
guys." Donna finishes the sentence and lifts her martini glass to her  
lips. As per tradition, whenever the two families and all the grown  
children are together in Santa Monica, they go out for Mexican at  
their favourite restaurant.

"That sounds good. We don't have a lot of space, but we can make  
up the futon in the den for you." Noah takes a bite of his enchilada  
and looks at Abbey beside him for consent. She nods mutely.

With animated eyes, CJ reaches across the table to offer Abbey  
her margarita. " Oh, honey, you have to try this one-Pineapple Passion."

Stealing a quick nervous glance at Noah, Abbey shakes her head.  
"No thanks. I'll just stick with my soda."

"You feelin' okay? You love all those girly drinks." PJ jests  
from his seat next to his sister.

"I just don't feel like drinking tonight, okay? Forget about it."  
Abbey stirs the rice on her plate with her fork, feeling repelled by  
everything in front of her.

"Honey, you all right?" Danny finishes chewing and stares  
cautiously at his daughter across the table.

"I'm fine. I'm probably just jet-lagged." Abbey waves them off.  
Everyone had asked her if she felt all right today. They all thought  
she looked pale and tired. Danny even asked earlier when they got home  
if they were having trouble affording groceries because it looked like  
she had lost weight. By now she's just so fed up with it and wants to  
be left alone.

"From a five hour plane ride and three hour time change?" Davy  
scoffs, to which he receives a glare from Donna sitting across the table.

"Leave her alone," Noah warns his little brother.

"Okay, guys, that's enough. Let's just have a nice dinner  
together, all right?" Josh suggests firmly, scooping some beans onto  
his fork.

But just then the bite of beef taco Noah had offered Abbey has a  
violent disagreement with her stomach and it has her pushing her chair  
back and rushing to the washroom.

"Excuse me." Noah sets his napkin on the table and dashes after  
his wife, CJ close in toe. The rest of the family blinks in confusion  
and concern.

"What's wrong?" CJ asks when she catches up to Noah at the bathrooms.

Turning around, Noah rubs his chin, a worried look plaguing his  
face. "She hasn't been feeling well. She didn't want to ruin the 4th  
of July celebrations tomorrow, she just wanted to come here as  
planned. Can you go check on her for me?"

"Sure, honey." CJ lightly squeezes her son-in-law's shoulder  
before entering the women's washroom. As expected, she can hear Abbey  
vomiting in a near-by stall.

"Abbey?" You all right, sweetheart?" CJ waits at the sink for  
Abbey to resurface.

After a minute, Abbey emerges from the stall, her face red and  
blotchy. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Honey, you shouldn't have gotten on the plane if you thought you  
were sick." CJ rubs Abbey's bare shoulders as her daughter washes her  
hands.

"I'm not sick. Please don't worry about it." Sighing deeply,  
Abbey pushes the door open and comes face-to-face with Noah.

"Well your husband seems pretty concerned," CJ says pointedly as  
Noah takes Abbey's hand and rubs circles across her lower back.

Abbey half-grimaces and half-smiles. "There's nothing to worry  
about. Go finish your dinner. We'll be back in a minute."

"All right. We'll go home as soon as everyone's finished," CJ  
tells them as she heads back to their table.

"Was it the spices?" Noah asks in concern. He hates that he made  
her feel this way.

Accepting Noah's warm hug, Abbey shrugs."I guess so. Noah, what  
are we gonna do? Our families are already pretty suspicious, and I'm  
ruining the visit."

"Why don't we just tell them when we go back to the table? It's  
better to do it in a public place, anyway. This way your father won't  
kill me. I've checked, there are plenty of items on the table that  
could be used as weapons." Noah's only half-joking. He knows Danny  
loves him and would never inflict any violence upon him, but he also  
realizes that his family is the most important thing in the world to  
him and he wouldn't think twice about punishing anyone who did them harm.

"Telling them now will definitely ruin the visit," Abbey concludes.

"No it won't. Besides, we can't very well do it over the phone or  
in an e-mail." Part of him just wants to get it out in the open. He  
and Abbey are happy with their decision to keep the baby, and he wants  
to spread his happiness around to his family.

Nodding, Abbey concedes. "You're right. Let's go do it."

Taking his wife's hand again, Noah leads them back to the table.  
" Like a band-aid. It's easier just to rip it off."

"A band-aid? That's nothing. You should try waxing some time. We  
could take that little patch of hair right off that area just below  
your naval." Abbey lets out a soft giggle, glad for the comic relief.

Noah's face falls in fear. " No way. Besides, you said you like  
that bit if hair right above my…"

Elbowing Noah as they approach the table, she takes her hand back  
and resumes her seat. Everyone is starting at them, not purposely  
because they try to hide their gazes.

"We're gonna get the bill and go," Danny tells his daughter, not  
knowing the words to say that will not upset her.

Abbey raises a hand to stop him. "It's fine. Don't rush on my  
account."

Noah runs his tongue over his bottom lip and pipes up, "  
Abbey and I have some pretty good news to share."

The two families visually brace, looks of anticipation on all  
their faces.

Abbey sucks in a big gulp of air and releases. " I'm pregnant.  
We're having a baby."

"Oh my God! That explains everything. Oh, this is just  
wonderful." CJ walks around the table to draw both kids into a hug.  
Donna follows suit and Ella jumps after her mother to congratulate the  
couple.

"Uh, congratulations," PJ mumbles awkwardly.

"Yeah, congrats," Davy adds, watching his father envelope Noah  
into a hug.

"Congratulations, son. We're so proud of you two," Josh gushes,  
reaching next for his daughter-in-law.

At this point, the only one still seated at the bustling table is  
Danny, who is motionless and mute.

"I think we're just gonna go to bed," Abbey announces when they  
file into the foyer of the Concannon's Santa Monica home.

"Okay, sweetheart. Sleep well. And congratulations again. I know  
you're a little apprehensive, but you're gonna be just fine. Your  
father and I will help in any way that we can." CJ hugs Abbey and Noah  
while PJ marches quickly up the stairs.

"Thank you. I guess we'll just have to figure it all out.  
Goodnight. Night ,Dad." Abbey turns over her shoulder to look at  
Danny, a pained expression on her face. She had hoped her father would  
be a little more enthusiastic. She knew he'd be a little disappointed  
that they didn't wait, but she had assumed that he would eventually  
conclude that this was a good thing and join in everyone else's  
excitement.

Danny finally brings his head up to meet his daughter's gaze.  
"Night, baby," he hoarsely whispers.

"Good night, guys," Noah calls as he and Abbey ascend the stairs  
to her childhood bedroom, the one they had only been permitted to  
sleep in together since their engagement two and a half years ago.

When the kids have disappeared down the upstairs hallways, CJ  
turns and fixes an eye on Danny. "What's wrong with you?"

"What?" Danny asks in defense as he secures the lock on the front  
door and turns out the lights in the foyer.

"Why aren't you happy for them? You could barely form a coherent  
sentence." CJ marches upstairs, clearly a little pissed at her husband.

"It's a huge surprise. I mean, weren't you a little shocked? It's  
not like they planned this." Danny follows CJ into their bedroom at  
the top of the stairs.

Changing into pajamas, CJ rolls her eyes. " Of course I was  
surprised. But I love my daughter and recognize this is obviously  
something she wants very much."

"I love her too," Danny sighs out loud.

"Then what's your problem?" CJ removes her jewelry, but her  
attention is on Danny.

"This wasn't in our plan!" Danny blurts out in frustration.

CJ rests on the end of the bed and pulls Danny by one hand closer  
to her. "What do you mean?"

Physically deflating, Danny explains."We've always made these  
decisions together. We helped her choose her high school, her high  
school courses; then university and university credits; then law  
school and the house and the car and…She's always sought our opinion  
on these important things." Danny's face registers disappointment. He  
remembers the promise Abbey made to him when she was thirteen and he  
was having trouble accepting her growing independence. She promised  
that she would always need him. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

CJ smiles in sympathy. "Yes, she's always sought our opinion. But  
we never made those decisions for her. She and Noah have always  
demanded independence. They make these decisions based on what's best  
for them. I think that's what they did here."

Danny considers CJ's statement. Of course it's true; he never  
made up Abbey's mind for her, but he always respected her desire for  
his input. "Of course you're right. But I just wish she had've come to  
us first."

CJ pulls Danny onto the bed beside her. " Danny, if she had  
called us last week and told us about the pregnancy and asked for  
advise, what would you have said? You would've told her to follow her  
heart and do what she felt was right for her and Noah. You wouldn't  
have told her to keep the baby if she and Noah wanted to devote  
themselves to their careers and maybe wait until they had more money.  
And you wouldn't have told her to get an abortion if they were set on  
raising this baby. Am I right?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're right." Danny grimaces, pain written on all  
over his face. " But I wish she had've come to us anyway. How are they  
gonna do this, CJ? They have no money and they're jobs are so  
demanding. Noah works from seven A.M. to nine P.M. He can't be around  
much for this kid. And they're so young. They don't know the first  
thing about being parents."

"Well, I think they've had pretty good examples from us and Josh  
and Donna, don't you? Besides, it doesn't matter. We didn't know  
anything about raising kids when I got pregnant. Remember what you  
told me? You said we'd get good at new things. And guess what? We did,  
Danny, and so will they. They didn't know how they were gonna cope  
when they moved away from home and each other to do their B.A.s in  
different schools. They managed to pull through and they were stronger  
because of it. They didn't know how they'd cope with law school and  
planning the wedding and buying their first house and starting their  
married life together. But, Danny, they always get good at new things.  
They're adaptable. I have tremendous confidence that they'll make  
great parents. They'll struggle along the way, but it's only gonna add  
to their already wonderful characters." CJ inhales, taking a deep  
breath after her long speech.

"I know." Danny nods firmly. He knows his daughter can do  
anything she puts her mind to. "I guess I'm just worried, too, that  
her career will suffer. I mean, I know you managed to be a fantastic  
mother and still do very important things with the Hollis Foundation,  
but you also had a lot more years establishing yourself and gaining  
your own reputation. Abbey is always gonna be Mrs. Lyman and I wonder  
if she'll ever be able to achieve her potential if she has to be a  
wife and mother at such a young age."

"Danny, you always told me that women can do both. Obviously  
being a mother will divert some attention away from work, but Abbey is  
committed to helping save the environment and she's not gonna lose  
sight of that. Just like I didn't lose sight of my commitment to  
infrastructure projects in Africa. And I'm sure Noah will be just as  
supportive of Abbey as you were of me. He was talking tonight about  
taking a couple months of paternity leave so Abbey could go back to  
work earlier if she likes." CJ understands Danny's concerns, and the  
last thing she wants is for Abbey to compromise her blossoming career.  
"Danny, go talk to her. I think she's hurt that you haven't really  
welcomed this baby into your heart and family."

Nodding silently, Danny rises and makes his way down the  
hall to Abbey's room. He raps lightly on the door and Noah peeks his  
head around.

"Can I come in?" Danny clears his throat.

Noah opens the door fully to allow his father-in-law entry. He  
turns to face Abbey who is sitting on the bed in her pajama shorts and  
tank-top and combing her curls.

"Can I sit?" Danny motions to the bed, and Abbey nods her  
consent. "Honey, I don't want you to think that I'm not gonna love  
this baby with all my heart. It's a little sooner than I anticipated  
being a grandfather, but I can't tell you how loved this child will be  
by all of us."

"It didn't seem like you were too pleased," Abbey says, her face  
still registering hurt.

"No, sweetie, I am. Any child of yours is a blessing to us. But  
I'm just worried about you two. This isn't the way you planned things  
and it's not gonna be an easy road ahead for you." Danny reaches for  
Abbey's hand. He can see how much his earlier behaviour must have  
saddened her.

"We know that. But we're willing to sacrifice and we aren't  
afraid of a challenge," Noah adds.

"Dad, when have we ever had it easy?" Abbey cracks a tiny smile.  
"But we know this was meant to be. God gave us this child for a reason  
and we have to accept our fate. And we're excited, Daddy. We wanna be  
parents and raise this child together."

Danny recognizes the light in Abbey's eyes and sees in them the  
love and adoration that's been present in CJ's eyes since she was  
pregnant with their daughter. She's going to make an amazing mother,  
he deduces. "And I know you're gonna be great parents. This baby will  
bring you joy like you've never known and shake your existence in ways  
you could never foresee. I truly am happy for you."

Relaxing instantly now that she's secured her father's approval,  
Abbey wraps her arms around Danny's neck in a tight hug. "Thank you,  
Daddy. That means so much to us."

"It really does. And I'm just glad you haven't tried to murder me  
for knocking up your daughter," Noah jests with a small laugh.

Danny fixes Noah with a mock evil stare. "I'd sleep with one eye  
open if I were you."

The End  
Apologies for yet again making Danny the irrational parent and CJ the  
calming voice. It's just so much more fun making Danny freak out. Let  
me know if you want me to continue the series.


End file.
